Diet is a certain diet regimen that certain foods or limits the amount of food. This is the definition given by the reference book “Gramota.ru”.In fact, when trying to lose weight, some people take this concept much more harshly.
When we hear about diets, we often think of starvation, strict calorie restrictions, and “healthy” but tasteless food. However, not only does this sound harsh, it can also be dangerous to your health.
But experts from the World Health Organization the word “diet” as a synonym for “nutrition plan.” They this word in the context of health, not grueling weight loss.
The ideal diet includes foods that help provide the body with all the necessary micro- and macroelements. It is not necessary to eat everything at once at every meal, but it is important that the diet :
- Staple foods such as cereal grains—wheat, barley, rye, corn, or rice—or starchy tubers or roots such as potatoes.
- Legumes: lentils and beans.
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Animal products: meat, fish, eggs and milk.
There are also some small restrictions. For example, eat up to 5 grams of salt per day. And sugar – than 10% of the total energy consumption. That is, if you get 2,000 kcal per day, then sweets in the diet should not be more than 200 kcal. This can be achieved by replacing cookies and candies with fresh fruit, and regular lemonades with their low-calorie counterparts.
Today, calls for healthy eating have become commonplace for most people, and almost everyone knows about the “plate principle”.
However, this does not mean that you need to start counting calories and analyzing your diet in detail. We are talking about recommendations for creating a lifestyle focused on the most rational nutrition. As much as possible, you need to try to build a varied and complete diet – for example, like the Canadian healthy eating plate. In this plan, calories are distributed as follows: half comes from vegetables and fruits; a quarter from protein sources, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds; another quarter from cereals, pasta and bread – it is better if they are whole grain.
Why You Should Eat a Healthy Diet
A balanced diet the energy needed to maintain strength throughout the day, and several other important benefits:
- maintains healthy skin, teeth and eyes;
- strengthens bones and muscles;
- improves the functioning of the immune system;
- helps the digestive system function;
- allows you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight;
- reduces the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer;
- supports healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Globally, healthy eating helps you live longer.
Moreover, even if you haven’t previously followed a balanced diet, switching to one you feel better.
At what weight should you think about losing weight with the help of diets?
First of all, you need to lose weight if excess weight worsens your health. To understand whether it’s time to go on a diet, your body mass index. BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.
Values from 18.5 to 24.9 healthy. But people with a BMI from 25 to 30 already need to reconsider their diet and eating habits. This will create a calorie deficit , due to which excess weight will go away. In order not to harm yourself and take into account all the needs of your body, you can consult a specialist – a nutritionist or gastroenterologist.
Why it gets harder to lose weight as you age
Sticking to a diet and exercise plan is difficult, and nature itself is against us. As we age, muscle mass , making it harder to exercise and lose weight.
According to statistics, adults in the United States an average of 13 kg by the age of 50. A similar trend is observed in Russia. According to the Ministry of Health, after 30, more than half of people excess weight.
Experts at the US National Institute of Nutrition that it’s not just food that’s to blame for weight gain, but biology as well. They base their theories on animal studies, so it’s not worth applying these findings to humans.
It has been observed that at a certain age, DNA-dependent protein kinase, an enzyme that slows down metabolism and prevents the breakdown of fat reserves in the body, is activated in the bodies of mice and monkeys.
What Doctors Say About Strict Dietary Restrictions
In an attempt to lose weight, people may resort to strict calorie restrictions and the rejection of entire food groups. Some even try extreme drinking diets. And all of this is unsafe for health.
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide.
In addition, it is necessary to understand that strict restriction of products in the long term is impossible. And when trying to return to the usual diet, unpleasant reactions to products that you previously tolerated without problems may occur: abdominal pain, belching, heartburn and bloating, and other symptoms.
Strict restrictions and demonization of food can also lead to the development of eating disorders and conditions in which a deficiency of essential nutrients develops. Our diet should be varied to provide the daily requirement of vitamins, microelements and other components necessary for the adequate development and functioning of our body.
In modern medicine, doctors, particularly gastroenterologists, recommend following certain diets only for a number of diagnosed diseases. For example, celiac disease, Wilson-Konovalov disease, lactose intolerance, allergies to food components and other conditions. If you do not have these diagnoses, you should not limit yourself to tasty food and create a deficiency of nutrients for yourself. As a result, you will not have to drink dietary supplements, the production of which is not controlled, moreover.
